The Murder of Mary Russell

I have fallen way behind in my reading of the "Mary Russell" series by Laurie King, so have missed some of the intervening books: the most recent one I read and wrote about was Garment of Shadows. Of the people I know who have read this book, one liked it, one did not, and another did not even finish it. I came down on the positive side, although I understand that it is a significant departure from the more typical straight-ahead mystery tales she usually writes in this series, and might leave Mary Russell fans a bit out of sorts.
Here we are re-introduced to Sherlock Holmes' ever reliable housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. We learn of her decidedly unorthodox childhood and apprenticeship in Australia. She is orphaned at a young age and left with an ungrateful younger sister and a totally inadequate father, who does eventually teach his older daughter a useful skill--how to con people. As they become more successful, Australia gets a little too small and they head to England to pursue their art. Clarissa Hudson is expert at manipulating men, until she falls in love and is, in turn, manipulated by a man who is a bigger con than she, and who leaves her in the lurch with a baby. The baby is given to her sister in Australia to care for after Clarissa has made the acquaintance of Sherlock Holmes, who offers a path to rehabilitation. He gives her the premises at Baker Street and becomes her "tenant." This puts a VERY different light and perspective on the relationship between Holmes and Hudson. When Homes retired, Mrs. Hudson went with and has subsequently become a pseudo-mother figure to Mary Russell.
The drama surrounds Mrs. Hudson's history--the lover who jilted her, the father she murdered, and the son she gave away. Needless to say, Mary is not murdered, but it takes a while to find that out. The ending is a surprise, although totally logical, given what we have learned about Clara Hudson. Recommended for her wonderful story-telling and her courage to re-create such a formidable character as Mrs. Hudson.